The face of public art is changing. Public Art (Now) is a national programme of talks, films, publications and workshops dedicated to showcasing internationally significant new forms of public art.

What is it to take a risk in an artwork (public or otherwise)? My personal view as an artist, and why I was interested to attend this workshop, is that risk is inherent to an interesting work of art. If there’s no risk, the ‘end-point’, whatever that might be, is known, and with this certainty I would question whether there is any remaining artistic purpose or benefit in creating the artwork. The ‘risk’ is the core of the work. With […]

A Professional Development Workshop, led by Situations for Public Art (Now) at the Folkestone Fringe Hub, Friday 31st October, 2014 Risk taking is a relative activity. Alex Hartley duly informed us that standing before an audience to present his art practice, feels far riskier than perching on a portaledge some 180 feet in the air above a bed of concrete (see Hartley’s ‘Vigil’, commissioned as part of Lookout / Folkestone Triennial 2014 http://www.vigil.org.uk). And what about anticipating the implications of […]

Speeches to the City: a collaboration between artists, locations and witnesses, by Hannah Sullivan and Martha King (freelance creative producers) During the Bristol Art Weekender a series of speeches, written and performed by commissioned artists, took place outside five art galleries and museums in the city centre. On soap-boxes, at different times of the day the artists’ crafted words were delivered to clusters of public ‘witnesses’. The speeches were written in response to a brief that encouraged a playful and critical […]

Michael Sailstorfer’s Folkestone Digs began with a press announcement, which simply stated that 30 pieces of gold worth £10,000 had been buried under the sand of the harbour beach of a Kentish coastal town. The ensuing hunt for gold involved hundreds who had travelled from across the UK, with the story being reported across global news channels. The work plays upon the tension between the carnival-like atmosphere of the hunt and the avaricious desire for wealth. But concerns that Sailstorfer’s […]

Before my trip, a friend told me that Bristol pays particular attention when it comes to urban design, and the participation of its citizens in shaping the use of public space. When I arrived at Hart’s Bakery, located inside an arch that probably used to function as storage or a small shop under the bridge of Temple Meads, the old station of Bristol, I immediately asked questions about its story. Laura Hart, fifteen years a baker, opened this place almost […]

By a small bakery, tucked under the bridge of Temple Meads train station stood a boat from which smoke drifted into the afternoon sky. Around it, a small crowd was gathering. Sometimes it is the little things that most draw our attention. In a city renowned for it’s relationship with public art, my journey to Hart’s Bakery had led me through the city centre and past various permanent works – including a giant mirror ball and the horn bridge – […]

A bakery may not be the quietest place for a workshop, but it has that factory-like feeling that stimulates conversation and productivity. Plus it sets the perfect scene for a discussion on public art: at Homebaked in Liverpool, the act of breadmaking becomes a metaphor for resilience and the importance of art in everybody’s life. Participants from across the UK came together to discuss strategies of public art and learn from the experience of two art projects that have used […]

We’re here today to talk about public art, its potential and experience for ourselves how it can impact upon a community. Hosted by Claire Doherty, Director of Situations, this is the second national event in the Public Art (Now) series, taking place at Homebaked, the community-led bakery grown from the ground up by Dutch artist Jeanne Van Heeswijk as part of her 2Up 2Down initiative, a key commission in Liverpool Biennial’s 2010 public art programme. An appetising aroma in conjunction with […]

A wander round any metropolitan or even rural area reveals that art is truly established in the public realm, but it takes something special to elevate it within public consciousness. For the launch of a public art programme that rewrites the rules, Jeremy Deller was probably the perfect speaker. With a practice that follows lines of interest and investigation rather than conforming to classification by media, he explores the creative and political life of Britain creating situations that require a […]